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Bottling in the Balkans

Oct 6, 2011Bottling in the Balkans A virtually unknown wine region hopes to put itself on the wine map

The Balkans may not be the first place that springs to mind as a fine wine destination. In fact, you may not have known wine was produced there at all. But vintners in Kosovo are on a mission to change that.

Cheap table wine once flowed from Kosovo to communist Yugoslavia and other parts of Europe. But as Yugoslavia fell apart and Kosovo plunged into war in the 1990s, the wine industry collapsed. After the war, vintners had to start over. Now, as the quality of the wines improves, we are getting a chance to try what Kosovo has to offer. Kosovo has even started exporting its wine to the U.S.

Kosovo’s largest winery, Stone Castle, is located in Rahovec Valley in the southeastern part of the country. This area receives 270 days of sunlight per year making it ideal for pinot noir, merlot and chardonnay. The wines are incredibly affordable--about $12 a bottle. Stone Castle aims to be a leading pioneer in the quest to make Kosovo a fine wine destination for Americans, and we admire their gusto. So keep an eye out as exports of Kosovar wines are expected to increase over the next few months.